Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." - Buddha
o o o o
25 December, 2010
"Grandpa! Mammy! We're home!" Calliope's voice echoed through the plantation home and they could hear footsteps headed towards them from the library. Perses trotted off towards the kitchen in hopes that Helena would mistake him for a starving animal and give him scraps. Brenda Sellers, Calliope's grandmother of sorts, emerged from the library seconds later with a huge smile on her face and her arms outstretched. Emeline squirmed in Spencer's arms, nearly toppling herself out of them until Spencer put her down and she ran across the marble floor.
"Grandma!" Emeline launched herself at Brenda and Brenda scooped her up, kissing both her cheeks and hugging the little girl tight.
"Hello, Sweetheart!" Brenda looked over Emeline's head to smile at Calliope and Spencer, both of whom were shedding their coats and handing them to a maid that had come from the kitchen just as Perses was entering it.
"Thank you, Angela. Those go under the tree," Calliope gestured at the bags of wrapped gifts as her grandfather, Dr. Ben Sellers, entered the fray. "Grandpa! Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas, Peanut!" Ben hugged Calliope tightly, kissing her forehead, and then shook Spencer's hand. "Merry Christmas, Spencer."
"Merry Christmas, Ben. Merry Christmas, Brenda."
"Merry Christmas!"
"And God bless us, everyone!" Calliope exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Okay. Now let's get out of the foyer."
The family of five laughed and talked their way into the parlor where a twelve-foot tree stood framed by even taller picture windows. The smell of pine filled the room that usually smelt like pineapple from the wood polish used on the furniture and the mantel. Brightly wrapped boxes with ribbons of satin and tulle, plaid and strips matched the colours of the ornaments on the tree and the white lights reflected off the metallic paper.
"Maman! Santa came here too!" Emeline crowed happily as her eyes rounded widely at the sight of all the presents.
"He did," Calliope nodded, "but I don't think all of those are for you."
Emeline looked horrified at the thought and squirmed in Brenda's arms until she was put down on the floor to rush over to the pile of presents. She couldn't read, but she knew what her name looked like and she scurried around the tree trying to find one with her name on it.
"When are Jill, Keely and co getting here?" Calliope turned to Brenda, who was watching Emeline knocked over a box.
"Keely and Trisha are at Trisha's parent's house until this afternoon, they'll probably be here around four. Baby Ben gave Jill and Steve a late start. They should be here in an hour or so."
"And everyone else is getting here at four too. Perfect," Calliope squatted down as Emeline came tottering towards her with a present in her hands.
"Maman! This one's for me!"
Calliope took the red box from her and looked at the label. "You're right! This one does say Emeline."
"Can I open it, Maman? P'ease?"
"Not until later, Sweetie. We have to wait until everyone else gets here. Go put this back under the tree." Calliope handed the box back and Emeline toddled with it back to the tree. Calliope turned towards Brenda. "Kaden and Elissa are coming at three."
She was referring to her half-brother and his mother, both of whom the Sellers had only found out about that past September. Kaden was fourteen years older than Calliope and the eldest of their father, Henry Seller's five children. Henry Sellers and his wife Hannah, Calliope's mother, had died in a car crash three weeks after Calliope's birth, along with their three older children, Orlando, Demetrius and Rosalind. Elissa Kaytis, embarrassed at getting pregnant her freshman year of college, had never told Henry of Kaden's existence and now the two siblings were starting to form a relationship.
Perses started barking excitedly as the doorbell rang and Emeline noisily dropped the box she was holding and ran in the direction of the door. Loud voices filled the foyer as people filled inside.
"Merry Christmas, antisocial people!"
"Bree-Bree!" Emeline's screech indicated Calliope's cousins, aunts, and uncles had arrived.
"Hey!" Calliope ran out ahead of everyone else and mugged Ashanti Gregg as her sister Breelyn scooped up Emeline. Letting go of Ashanti, she hugged their parents, Mark and Ashley, before moving on to her other aunt and uncle, Rachel and Joseph Berton. "Merry Christmas!"
"Shawn and Patrick are picking up Chris and Robby from their mother's. They'll be here in a minute," Joe kissed Calliope on the cheek, explaining his sons and grandsons absence.
"Why'd Patrick go too?"
"Reinforcements."
"Why'd he ever marry that witch?" Calliope mumbled the oft mumbled – and sometimes shouted – question and hugged Rachel.
"At least we only have to deal with her on holidays," Brenda joined the conversation.
"I have new pictures!" Breelyn held up a battered, unopened envelope and the entire group shouted. Clearly written in block letters across the top, though the end was slightly obscured by a black military ink stamp, was 'OPEN ON CHRISTMAS.' And the much small print beneath it read 'No cheating.'
"We have to wait until everyone gets here," Ben said reasonably, but he was looking as longingly at the envelope as anyone else in the foyer.
"But the entire group won't be here until four," Calliope pouted and Spencer laughing, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and dropping a kiss into her hair. "I don't wanna wait until four to hear Isaac and Greg's letter."
"You don't want to wait for anything." Spencer snarked at her. "You don't even want to wait for coffee to brew."
"It takes too long. I need coffee instantly. Too long without caffeine and I'll die, Spencer. Is that what you want? Me to die from lack of continuous caffeine intake?" Calliope turned her head to look up at him and he took the opportunity to kiss her.
"Gross!" Emeline covered her eyes and buried her face in Breelyn's shoulder.
"Let's go out and see the horses," Calliope squeezed Spencer's hand. Emeline shouted excitedly and within a few minutes, everyone had their coats on. In her snowsuit over her Buzz pajamas, Emeline looked like a mini-Michelin Man Smurf.
"Poppy!" Emeline shuffled a few feet forward in the stable before shuffling back to Spencer and then repeating the process over and over.
"Poppy still doesn't like horses too much, Eme," Calliope smiled. She was already halfway down the centre isle, the heels of her boots clicking on the cement.
"I'm getting better!" Spencer called to her indigently.
"Still a chicken!" Calliope called back. She stopped in front of a stall with ribbons pinned up all around the door and a beautiful chestnut coloured horse stuck his head out and nudged her shoulder, looking for the apple slices he knew were hidden somewhere on her person. "Hey there, Prize. Merry Christmas."
The thoroughbred, Dahlia's Prize, was one of Dahlia's current three-year-olds, or would be in two months, and he was going to win the Triple Crown this year. It was nearly impossible to see any of the wood between replica ribbons of all his wins and top-three placings pinned around his stall. Last year Prize's older full-brother, Prince of Dahlia, had won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and come in second at the Belmont Stakes. Nine hundredths of a second away from becoming the first Triple Crown winner in thirty-one years.
"This year, Baby. I can feel it," Calliope kissed his soft nose and reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a carrot slice and holding it out for Prize with a flat hand.
"I'm getting Prince," Ashanti said as she passed Calliope and Calliope nodded. The rest of group branched off to different stalls of their preferred horses, most of them choosing retired racers or mares. Spencer tentatively picked one of the placid mares kept for tourists. Ben kissed the back of Calliope's head and kept going until he reached the stall of his favourite horse, Charlotte, the newly retired dam of a slew of Dahlia's prize horses, including both Prize and Prince.
Calliope was on her horse before anyone else and led Prize in a light trot around the indoor training rink while she waited for her family. "Let's go faster, Prize," Calliope leaned over and gently pressed her heels into Prize's flanks. Prize leapt forward with a burst of speed and Calliope pressed again. She loved the feeling of rushing around the track on the back of a horse.
"Callie!" Ben called as she and Prize slowed back to a trot. Emeline sat comfortably in front of her great-grandfather and waved enthusiastically.
By the time the group was unsaddling and washing off their horses, they were chilled through their heavy coats and gloves and happily returned to the warm house and the hot drinks that waited for them.
"Prize felt great," Calliope sat on the floor next to Breelyn. "I think he's got a real shot at the Crown."
"Prince'll be competitive again this year," Mark nodded. "Black Knight always sired winning horses when paired with Charlotte. It was a smart, smart choice keeping Black Knight's lineage in the family."
"You don't win by giving away your starting lineup," Ben laughed.
"It's not a football team, Uncle Ben," Ashanti laughed.
"Same concept."
"No, it's not!" Calliope turned and stared at him incredulously. "It's a good thing we have Joe and Mark, otherwise I don't want to think about what havoc you might have wreaked on our stables if left to your own devices."
"I'm good with the horses!" Ben defended himself and the entire room started laughing.
"Yes, you are," Brenda patted his knee, "but you're a much better doctor than you are a stable manager."
Calliope smiled at Spencer when he entered the parlor. He sat down next to Calliope and kissed her quickly, threading his fingers through hers. "Sound asleep," he whispered in her ear and imperceptibly moved his thumb over the spot on her ring finger where an engagement ring had been just a few hours before. "She'll probably nap for an hour or so."
"Love you," Calliope leaned against his side and Spencer slipped his arm around her shoulders.
"Love you more."
o o o o
There's nothing louder than a home filled with thirty-two people at Christmas. With the team pulling the short straw and having to be the BAU team on-call this Christmas, no one was able to go home for the holidays and they had all accepted invitations to Dahlia for the holiday.
"Hey, Baby Ben," Calliope bent over the baby boy her best friend and makeshift sister Jill was holding. "You've gotten so big, little guy."
"If only he'd sleep through the night!" Jill leaned against Calliope's shoulder.
"Aunt Callie," Jack ran over with his newest present in hand and climbed into her lap, at which Emeline protested even though she was happily cuddled in Derek's arms with the stuffed animal he'd given her.
"Hey there, Jack Attack," Calliope kissed his cheek. "Show me whatchya got."
"Hey Kaden," Spencer leaned against the wall next to Kaden, who nodded at him. The two sat quietly, watching the ruckus unfolding around them.
"Where Christmases like this at your house?" Kaden glanced at him.
"I was an only child of divorced parents living with my schizophrenic mother. Christmas didn't even include a tree. What about you?"
"Eh, used to go over and spend it with my grandparents as a kid. My, uh, other grandparents," Kaden amended needlessly. "They passed away when I was in my twenties. It wasn't like this, but it was nice. I liked it."
"Sounds nice."
"It was."
The conversation died and they stood side-by-side watching until Emeline decided she'd had enough of Derek and tumbled across the room to Kaden. "Uncle Kady."
"Hey, Munchkin," Kaden kissed her and smoothed out her Christmas dress. "Did I tell you you look pretty?"
Emeline giggled and threw her arms around his neck when he picked her up. "Yes, Uncle Kady. Poppy, I'm hungry."
"It's almost dinner time, Princess. Almost."
o o o o
"Dear everyone," Joe read aloud from the letter he had just opened.
"Well that's personalized," Shawn quipped as everyone started laughing.
"Dear everyone," Joe started again. "First off, we're doing fine. Thanks for the Christmas packages. You definitely went overboard on the cookies, but the guys loved them. We could tell the ones Cal had a hand in, though. Not even the dogs would eat those."
Calliope dropped her head in her hands and laughed silently until tears were trailing down her cheeks and her face was red.
"Yes, Mama, we really are fine. Can't tell you where we are, of course, but we've got a good group of guys in our platoon and we're keeping each other safe."
The letter went on for pages, full of jokes to the group and specific people, making sure to say something to everyone present. It took nearly half an hour to read to the last page of the letter as laughter and outbursts kept interrupting.
"Love you all so much. We'll see you soon. Love, Gregg and Isaac. P.S. Congrats to Cal on finally getting that ring and condolences to Spencer for having to spend the rest of his life with our crazy cousin. We wish you luck. You'll need it. Thanks for the letter, Spencer. It was the best news we've gotten since shipping out."
Every head was staring at Calliope and Spencer as Joe lowered the letter.
"Is there something you want to share?" Derek somehow managed to speak first.
"No way, I would have noticed a ring!" Penelope called from where she was sitting between Derek and Kevin.
Calliope reached into the pocket of her yellow slacks, pulled out the ring she'd shifted from her jeans pocket when she changed and slipped it onto her left ring finger. "We had a plan, but Gregg and Isaac ruined that! Surprise!"
The room exploded, chairs flying backward as Brenda and Penelope jumped up at the exact same time.
"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED?"
"WHAT OH MY GOD!"
"CONGRATS!"
"OH MY GOD, CALLIE!"
"ABOUT TIME, SPENCER!"
"I KEPT THE SECRET, POPPY! I WAS GOOD!"
A piercing wolf-whistle silenced the room and Ben stood at the head of the table with his thumb and forefinger still in his mouth. He motioned for Calliope, who stood and went to him with a smile on her face. He held out a hand and Calliope laid hers in his.
"You have perfect taste, Spencer. Congratulations, Peanut," Ben hugged her and kissed her forehead. "He's a good one, Callie."
"I know."
The explosive noise started again and, after Brenda, Calliope and her hand was passed from one person to the next until she was dizzy. Spencer waited patiently with Emeline in his lap until Dave and Aaron sat down on either side of him.
"It's gonna be like this until the wedding," Dave said casually. "You no longer matter until the wedding day."
Spencer pulled Emeline's thumb from her mouth.
"He's right, you know. From now on, everything's about her and the wedding," Aaron grinned.
"She's Calliope Sellers," Spencer smiled. "It's always about her."
"Poppy!" Emeline pouted and reach up to grab his face. Spencer grinned.
"I stand corrected."
A/N:
Sorry it's been so long, but I really just needed a break from writing. Also, reintroducing characters is harder and more annoying than I thought it would be. I have to go to work now, so I hope you enjoyed it!
Love, Thalia